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EXCLUSIVE — LaHOOD JOINS BUILDING AMERICA’S FUTURE: Former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will join infrastructure advocacy group Building America’s Future as a co-chair, MT has learned. LaHood, with 14 years in Congress and five in the Cabinet under his belt, will step into the Republican seat held by Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is moving on to focus his domestic policy work on his eponymous USC Schwarzenegger Institute (http://bit.ly/1lzCTqL).

Things are shaping up for a big year for Building America’s Future — there’s increasing chatter of a big infrastructure mention in the State of the Union speech, LaHood brings a lot of fans and Republican contacts to the table and fellow board member Michael Bloomberg now has a lot more time on his hands. LaHood joins Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor, and Ed Rendell, a former governor and mayor who is an outspoken critic of the federal government’s inaction on infrastructure. Schwarzenegger is giving up leadership of the group he co-founded with Bloomberg and Rendell in early 2008 — but he won’t be forgotten. BAF and the USC Schwarzenegger Institute will be “strategic partners” on transportation issues moving ahead, according to a source involved.

LaHood’s thoughts: “I am delighted to join Building America’s Future as a co-chair and am excited to work together with some of the nation’s most innovative public leaders,” the most recent DOT leader said. “While there is widespread agreement that our nation’s aging roads, bridges, transit and aviation systems are woefully inadequate, Washington has failed to show leadership in making the tough decisions to increase revenue to fund these critical investments. With the Highway Trust Fund just months away from insolvency, it is time for action.”

TODAY IN TRANSPO — House returns: The lower chamber votes today on two transportation bills — one (H.R. 724; text: http://1.usa.gov/1dcZxmY) would end a paperwork requirement for auto dealers and the Transportation Reports Elimination Act (H.R. 3628; text: http://1.usa.gov/19b2HGN) updates and streamlines the list of report DOT files, including those submitted online. Both bills are under suspension of the rules — so no amendments allowed and each needs a two-thirds vote.

State of the (Business) Union: Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Thomas Donohue gives his big State of American Business speech today, offering a review of the major issues facing business and what his group will be working for this year. The key to watch for is any mentions of infrastructure and how the Chamber might approach this year’s reauthorization — the group has played an important infrastructure role in recent years with hard work from lobbyists, money for ads and perhaps most importantly, giving Republicans a bit of political cover in supporting greater federal spending. Donohue's speech starts at 9:30 a.m. today, with a press conference at 10:15 a.m.

RING-JAYS? BING-FAYS? WEDNESDAY! Thanks for reading POLITICO’s Morning Transportation, your daily tipsheet on trains, planes, automobiles and ports, where this time last year we were all watching the Hurricane Sandy supplement bill in the Senate and wondering how an infrastructure bank would fare with Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Kerry on the way out. I’d love to hear your anonymous tip, scoop or hot rumor: asnider@politico.com. Follow and drop me a line on Twitter: @AdamKSnider.

—“The nation’s air traffic system has begun to thaw out from Tuesday’s extreme cold, but it will take some time for all the tens of thousands of stranded passengers to reach their destinations,” Kathryn A. Wolfe reports: http://politi.co/1lzPuKz

—New Yorkers are tough — Citibike saw 2,485 trips Tuesday morning trips on the coldest day for the city in 118 years. http://bit.ly/1gCuoYQ

—It’s not just the car-filled roads that need to be cleared of snow; Smart Growth America has more on keeping complete streets clear in the bad weather: http://bit.ly/1cObWaB

MT READS TODAY’S FEDERAL REGISTER SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO: The Federal Highway Administration puts out a request for information on its Every Day Counts initiative, seeking “innovations that have the potential to transform the way we do business by shortening project delivery time, enhancing the safety of our roadways, and protecting the environment” (http://1.usa.gov/1ddxJyG). And the FTA publishes its safety advisory to protect track workers that was originally announced on New Year’s Eve (http://1.usa.gov/1lzDvwC).

TAKE A BREAK, GUYS: JetBlue isn’t backing down from blaming new pilot duty time rules for cancellations amid the recent bad weather, saying in a Tuesday update that “further cancellations are still occurring as crews exceed their allowed duty times.” Combined with a similar post on Monday, the airline sure caught the attention of the pilots’ union. “Record bad weather and poor planning to comply with new regulations by a few individual airlines should not distract from the tremendous advancement in safety that has resulted from this past weekend’s implementation of the FAA’s new science-based flight- and duty-time regulations for airline pilots who fly passengers,” ALPA said in a statement that also called yet again for the rule’s application to cargo pilots.

MAILBAG — DeFazio wants rail hearing: Peter DeFazio, a top T&I Democrat, wrote the GOP and Democratic leaders of the committee and its railroad panel asking for a hearing on the safety of rail cars carrying crude oil. The request comes after the latest in a string of high-profile accidents and explosions of the volatile material, this time in North Dakota. The Oregonian noted that the government needs to, among other things, keep the “public protected when accidents inevitably occur.” Letter: http://politico.pro/1adxb9w

Norwegian wood: And top T&I Dem Nick Rahall, along with aviation panel leaders Frank LoBiondo and Rick Larsen, have written Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx expressing concerns with Norwegian Air Shuttle as the carrier looks to get certified by Ireland. Letter: http://politico.pro/1geNJP9

IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT: Pro Tech’s Tony Romm reporting from Las Vegas: “Some of the Audi and BMW supercars on display here at the 2014 International CES don’t need a driver to navigate busy highways and city streets. But Washington is ready to reach for the wheel anyway. This year’s tech trade show is rife with carmakers that eagerly await the day when their vehicles can connect with each other, interact with roads and stoplights, and, yes, make entire trips without a driver touching the wheel — but even the most distant future visions for transportation have highlighted early fears about safety and security among Beltway regulators in attendance.” Full story for Pros: http://politico.pro/1aFBKWF

THE AUTOBAHN (SPEED READ)

- House T&I member Trey Radel is back to work in Congress but also faces a GOP primary challenger. POLITICO: http://politi.co/1lNwMfQ

- New Hudson Institute report: “Organization and Innovation in Air Traffic Control.” http://bit.ly/1gClLxt

THE COUNTDOWN: Surface transportation policy is up in266 days and FAA policy in 631 days. The mid-term elections are in 300 days and the 2016 presidential election is in 1,035 days. DOT appropriations run out in eight days.

CABOOSE — A cry for help: MT has tried to kick the habit of using old transport-based pictures for the caboose. But just when I do my best, another fix falls in my lap (or inbox). Here’s a 1957 Kodachome of an assembly line of ‘58 Chevys, via Shorpy: http://bit.ly/JGhZrz. And seriously — please pass along your fun transportation links for a shout-out in MT!